Crystallise
by SuperAwesomePandaKitty
Summary: Marinette opened the trapdoor to her balcony and her eyes widened when they landed on him, his back was to her as he stared at the lights of the Eiffel Tower and she noticed his ears were flat on his head. "Hey Kitty, is everything okay?" She asked worriedly as she made her way towards him and he turned with a grin on his face that didn't quite meet his eyes.


A/N: So this has been months in the making, had a lot to deal with but I finally finished it and this is self-indulgent as hell. Bit angsty but more fluff than anything else. Hope you enjoy! Also only got Ladybug, Chat Noir, Rena Rouge and Carapace as heroes in this, all the others aren't mentioned and don't exist lol.

Marinette sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, tonight was the night. They had a plan, they were going to confront Hawk Moth once and for all and save Paris.

That was the hope, at least.

Chat Noir, Rena Rouge and Carapace were to meet with her on a rooftop near the Eiffel Tower, they had found what they thought to be the entrance to Hawk Moth's Lair a few days before so they were all going to go there and take him down.

She looked at the time on her clock, she had an hour to be ready and get to their meeting place. She took a deep breath as Tikki flittered around her nervously.

"It's been so long since we've had a breakthrough like this Tikki." Marinette murmured and the little Kwami nodded softly.

"Are you sure you're ready for this Marinette?" She asked and the Miraculous holder hesitated for a moment before she straightened with determined eyes.

"I've been Ladybug since I was fourteen, his reign of terror has been going on for far too long." Marinette stated. "Five years is a long time Tikk, don't you think?"

"I'm so proud of you Marinette." Her Kwami said as she flew into the side of her neck for a hug. "I'm worried for you too, so please promise you'll be careful."

"I will, I promise." Marinette replied as she held her hand to the Kwami's back. They startled when they heard a noise at her balcony. "Quick, hide Tikki." She whispered urgently as she cautiously made her way to her hatch and the Kwami dived under her bed.

Marinette opened the trapdoor to her balcony and her eyes widened when they landed on _him_, his back was to her as he stared at the lights of the Eiffel Tower and she noticed his ears were flat on his head.

"Hey Kitty, is everything okay?" She asked worriedly as she made her way towards him and he turned with a grin on his face that didn't quite meet his eyes. It wasn't strange for him to be visiting her, she would regularly see him as Marinette at least once a week, and they would hang out on her balcony and talk about anything and everything (apart from the obvious) but it was a little strange for him to be here before he was supposed to meet up with Ladybug and the others. They were very close and her heart would skip a beat every day they were together but she couldn't help but feel that he would never see her the way he did Ladybug.

"Princess." He greeted. "I'm purrfectly fine." Chat Noir added but the cadence in his voice was all wrong and she frowned worriedly as he walked towards her hesitantly. "I…uh…I just wanted to talk to you for a moment if that's okay?"

"Of course it is but are you sure you're okay? You look upset." Marinette asked as she looked him over, his hands were shaking subtly by his sides and his grin looked pained but he nodded anyway.

"I'm fine, I just needed to tell you something before I go. I have something really important I need to do and…" He faltered, his eyes looking off to the side as he bit his lip before shaking his head quickly and his eyes returned to her. "Mari…" Chat murmured as he moved a little closer to her, she had to look up at him because he was so tall now and she couldn't help but feel nervous as she could feel his warm breath on her forehead.

"What is it Chat?" Marinette breathed, her breath hitched as he brushed a strand of her hair and tucked it behind her ear, she gazed up at him wide-eyed as he smiled at her softly before she felt both of his hands on her cheeks and his lips tenderly pressing against her own, she hesitantly pressed back as her heart fluttered before he pulled back.

"I love you Marinette…I have for a while now but I just…I needed you to know before I…" He trailed off and reluctantly backed away from her. "I gotta go." He added quietly as she stared up at him in a daze, her cheeks were in flames and her heart slammed against her ribcage but the way he was talking scared her and she felt a lump form in her throat as he turned to leave.

"Chat wait!" Marinette shouted as she grabbed his arm. "Where are you going? What are you going to do?" She asked anxiously and he sighed guiltily.

"I'm going to do something very dangerous and very stupid." He told her truthfully and she shook her head adamantly but he continued. "Look I…I think I overheard…" Chat sighed sadly. "I have a theory about who Hawk Moth is, so I'm going to try to..."

"Chat no!" She interrupted him but his smile turned fond and regretful, his hand curling around her own grip on his arm.

"If I'm right Princess…If I'm right then _everyone_ will hate me tomorrow…but if I'm wrong then at least only one person will…Not like that will make much of a difference anyway." He muttered the last part to himself.

"What are you talking about? Why can't you just tell Ladybug and the others? Won't they be able to help you if you did?" Marinette asked anxiously but he just shook his head sadly.

"I can't Mari, he's hurt too many people already and if it turns out I'm right then it's my fault for not stopping this suffering sooner." Chat Noir replied, desperately wanting her to understand. "I'm supposed to be one of the heroes of Paris and yet my friends and the people of this city have suffered for too long…all because I was too stupid or…or in denial to see..."

"Please Chat, please don't do anything alone. Call Ladybug and she'll help you; I know she will…" Marinette begged but she cut off when she felt his lips pressing against her forehead, lightly pressing his own to hers after as he closed his eyes.

"Maybe when this is all over I'll tell you…but then again if it's true, you just might hate me too." He whispered before turning and leaping off the balcony, using his staff to vault himself onto the rooftops as he ran away.

"Chat! Wait!" Marinette called after him but he didn't stop and she cursed before running back into her room. "Tikki quick, transform me." She shouted, pink light illuminating the room as she changed into Ladybug and she ignored the tears that swam in her eyes as she threw her yoyo into the air and gave chase.

She stopped a few rooftops away when she realised she didn't know where he was, she had lost sight of him and she cursed herself for not being able to stop him. Ladybug sighed as she didn't know what to do, never hating the fact that she'd kept their identities a secret from each other more than she did at that moment so she decided to go to their meeting place and hoped that he would at least go there.

Landing lightly on the roof, she perched on a wall and kept watch for any signs of Chat and her friends. Twenty minutes later, her head shot up when she heard a noise behind her but all she could manage was a slight uptwist of her lips when she noticed Carapace and Rena Rouge arrive together.

"Ladybug, you're here early." Rena said cheerfully, there was a tension in the air as they all knew what they had to do tonight would be dangerous but each of them were committed for the citizens of Paris.

"Uh, yeah…You didn't happen to spot Chat Noir on your way here did you?" Ladybug asked them hopefully and her heart fell when they looked at each other in confusion before turning back to her and shaking their heads.

"No, there's still time before he's supposed to be here so hopefully he won't be too long." Carapace told her with a reassuring smile but she avoided their eyes in favour of looking around the city and hoping to catch a glimpse of his messy blond hair or a sliver of the gold bell around his neck.

Carapace and Rena settled down on the wall beside her as they waited but soon five minutes turned into ten, ten turned into twenty and eventually they had waited almost an hour before Ladybug felt the fear in her heart consume her.

"He's very late." She whispered sadly.

"Do you think…" Carapace began before he was elbowed in the side by Rena which prompted him to stop.

"Maybe he forgot where we were meeting?" Rena suggested softly.

"He didn't forget." Ladybug murmured as she furiously rubbed a tear from her eye before it could fall. "I should have said something." She chastised herself.

The other two superheroes didn't have a chance to say anything as an explosion sounded off somewhere in the city and all three heads shot up in the direction of the commotion.

"That's the Agreste mansion!" Carapace said in a panic.

"Come on!" Rena exclaimed to them as they all vaulted over rooftops towards the Agreste estate.

"Oh my God!" Ladybug shouted as one of her worst fears came to life before her very eyes.

Hawk Moth was standing on a platform elevated by hundreds if not thousands of butterflies fluttering under it as he rose higher and higher into the sky, there was a hole in the roof of the mansion and hanging off the ledge; held only by Hawk Moth's grip around his wrist was an unconscious Adrien Agreste.

Ladybug's heart leapt as she took in the sight, a bruise was forming on his head as he'd no doubt been knocked unconscious and his clothes were rumpled. She had loved Adrien since that day he gave her his umbrella in the rain all those years ago and because of that she had pushed Chat Noir away but in the past year, she couldn't deny her feelings for Chat had grown stronger…but she would always have a special place in her heart for her first love and to see him like this now…

"Adrien!" Carapace shouted angrily, snapping her out of her thoughts and the turtle superhero calmed when Rena gripped his hand with a reassuring look.

"Heroes of Paris." Their enemy's voice boomed. "Give up your Miraculous or this boy will plummet to his death."

"No!" Ladybug said as she tried to move closer but Hawk Moth laughed sinisterly as a few of the butterflies moved towards the citizens below and soon several akumatised victims were blocking their path.

"Ladybug." Rena Rouge called and she looked over to her teammate quickly. "Get Adrien, Carapace and I will take care of this or hold them back for as long as we can."

Carapace nodded in agreement, already lifting his shell shield from his back as he faced the victims determinedly. "Save him Ladybug." He told her, already moving towards the first as they tried to attack the other defenceless civilians.

Ladybug nodded gratefully, eyes turning back desperately to Adrien and for a split second her eyes were drawn to his shirt pocket as she saw something black peeking out but dismissed it as a trick of the light as it disappeared just as quickly.

"Hawk Moth, let him go. He has nothing to do with this!" She demanded but the man merely laughed as he allowed Adrien's arm to slide a little through his fingers and she let out a panicked gasp.

"Hand over your Miraculous and you can have him, it matters little to me if he lives or dies but I know it would matter to you. Don't think I haven't noticed that over the years you have seemed to favour him, always rushing to save him first and now I have finally found your Achilles heel." Hawk Moth shouted smugly and she cursed herself internally; if anything happened to Adrien it would be her fault.

"Does human life really mean nothing to you?" Ladybug asked in disgust and the man merely rolled his eyes as Adrien slipped a little further and she gripped her yo-yo tighter in response.

"Last chance Ladybug or he dies." He growled and Ladybug had had enough, she threw her yo-yo into the air as she swung herself towards Adrien. Adrien stirred then, his green eyes blinking open slowly before they shot open when he realised what was happening, he looked at his free hand quickly and squeezed it to his chest with a relieved breath before he met her eyes as she was flying towards him.

"Ladybug don't! It's a trap." He shouted too late as several butterflies flew into her side and she lost her grip on her yo-yo, the momentum throwing her to the side as she began to fall. "Noooo!"

Everything happened in slow motion, she was falling but she was looking at Adrien and noticed him murmur something to himself before a green light illuminated the sky. Suddenly, a surprised Hawk Moth was gripping Chat Noir's arm as the hero twisted and kicked him in the face. The man fell back, losing his grip on the hero and tumbled off the edge but he managed to grip onto the ledge of the platform before he could plummet to his death.

Chat flipped and landed on all fours for a millisecond on the platform before launching towards her, they collided and once he had a good grip on her he extended his staff to propel them towards the nearest roof but it was too fast.

They lost their hold on each other as they landed, Ladybug rolling on the roof with a gasp of pain and Chat rolled to the other side. The superheroine groaned softly as she tried to push herself up but her arm wasn't cooperating with her and she looked up at the platform where she had last seen Adrien.

Rena Rouge was making a grab for Hawk Moth as Carapace was no doubt keeping the others distracted below, the sounds of sirens were loud despite the ringing in her ears and her eyes finally fell to Chat Noir's prone form in front of her.

"Chat!" She called desperately, pushing herself up with her good hand as best she could as she crawled towards him. She sat up with some difficulty as she turned him onto his back, resting his head in her lap and she gasped when she noticed the blood dripping from his temple. "Chat! Chat! Please wake up!" Ladybug exclaimed but he didn't stir, she moved two shaking fingers to his pulse point and let out a sigh of relief when she felt it; his heartbeat was weak but it was there.

A purple light illuminated the side of his face as her tears began to fall but she didn't care, she just wanted him to wake up and she let out a pained sob. "I love you too Chat." She murmured sadly. "_Please_ wake up."

"Ladybug?" She heard Carapace call.

"We're over here!" Ladybug shouted urgently, stroking the uninjured side of Chat's face while she waited and she released a sigh when Carapace finally appeared holding her yo-yo and Chat's staff in his free hand.

"Oh my God." Carapace said worriedly as he hurried towards them, he dropped to his knees beside them and set their weapons on the ground. "Is that Adrien?" He asked her quietly and she nodded on autopilot. "Rena's waiting with Hawk Moth, we took his Miraculous off him which stopped the akuma attacks and the police have arrived." His face darkened and he bitterly muttered. "I can't believe he would do that to his own son."

"What? It was Gabriel Agreste?" Ladybug asked in a surprised tone as she finally tore her eyes away from Chat's face.

"Yeah, guess this explains why Chat was late." The turtle superhero murmured worriedly as he squeezed his best friend's hand. "We need to get him some help."

"We can't take him to the hospital." She exclaimed worriedly. "He knows who he is now and _clearly_ he doesn't care about hurting his own son."

"And he's going to be locked up with the police, witnesses saw Adrien being held by Hawk Moth and then their eyes would have been distracted by you falling until Chat saved you. Either way they'll think Adrien was hurt in the commotion…He _needs_ to go to the hospital, look at him." Carapace explained anxiously as he anxiously stared at his best friend who was _not waking up_.

"Okay…but can you carry him? I can't move my arm, I think it's dislocated." She asked nervously, the other hero nodded before standing to call his girlfriend for help.

"Rena!" Carapace called, the fox superheroine jumped onto the roof and she gasped worriedly when she saw them.

"The police are taking Gabriel into their police van now…Ladybug, your arm!" Rena Rouge explained before moving over to her friend quickly. "Close your eyes and take a deep breath."

Ladybug stood up so Rena could help and did as she was told before letting out a pained shout as Rena moved her arm back into place without warning but she let out a relieved exhale as it didn't hurt as badly as before. "Thanks Rena." She panted gratefully.

"Anytime." The fox heroine replied as she looked down at a struggling Gabriel who was being dragged into the back of a police van and shouting indignantly "don't you know who I am?"

They were all immediately distracted when Chat let out a groan, groggily opening his eyes and trying to push himself up.

"Chat." Ladybug said urgently as she rushed towards him, Carapace helped him sit up and Chat looked around a little dazed.

"Are you alright Chat?" Rena asked worriedly as the team looked at him with concern and he struggled to push himself to a stand.

"I need to get out of here." He slurred quietly as he staggered to the side.

"You need to go to the hospital." Carapace replied worriedly but he shook his head adamantly.

"You don't understand. I can't be here." Chat insisted but Ladybug placed her hand on his cheek to get him to focus on her and it worked as he stared at her in surprise.

"Chat, no one will hate you. You are not responsible for any of this and you need to get medical attention." She told him softly and he looked away sadly.

"I'll be fine, I just need to get as far away from here as possible." Chat murmured as he gently pushed her arms away from him and backed away from his friends.

"Please Chat, just let the paramedics look over you." Carapace told him but Chat shook his head.

"I'll be fine." He insisted, he moved closer to the edge of the roof and looked down at the van that held his father. The police were searching the surrounding area, most likely for Adrien and his hands shook as they clenched at his sides. He looked down when he realised his staff wasn't at his side and he turned his head to her when Ladybug placed her hand on his arm gently.

"Adrien please." She whispered sadly and he sighed miserably.

"I didn't wanna believe it. I need you to know that I didn't know until today." Chat told them, averting his eyes to watch the police van drive away, sirens getting quieter with the distance and suddenly his teammates surrounded him as they hugged him.

"Of course you didn't." Rena replied resolutely.

"None of us could have ever suspected." Carapace murmured beside him and Ladybug nodded with a concerned gaze as she pressed against his other side but Chat shook his head with a hiss as he moved away from their hold.

"But I should have!" He shouted bitterly. "Cat's out of the bag now, you all know who I am and I've been living with him my whole life! I should have known he was capable of something like this." Chat turned his head away as the tears began to fall, his head was hurting like crazy but at that point everything was falling apart so he couldn't bring himself to care.

"Stop it!" Ladybug shouted sadly, she rushed over to hug him and he broke down. He held her so tightly as he sobbed quietly into her shoulder and she couldn't do anything but hold him closely, rubbing his back in small soothing circles while their teammates watched on helplessly. "Will you please go to the hospital? You could have a concussion." She whispered when his breathing started to calm.

Chat's shoulders slumped in defeat, he knew he had to go get checked out, his head felt like it was going to explode and he felt so exhausted but all he could think about was everyone finding out tomorrow and hating him for the things his father had done.

"It's going to be okay." Carapace said reassuringly when Chat pulled out of her arms and looked over at the other two heroes. "I won't let him hurt you again okay?"

"We're here for you Chat." Rena told him with a soft smile on her face. "We're a team."

"Mari was right." He mumbled to himself guiltily, his hand went up to his head as it was getting worse but Ladybug stopped him from touching the bruised and bleeding area.

"We can talk about that later, can you change back so we can take you to the hospital?" Ladybug asked worriedly. "No one hates you okay? We could never hate you." Ladybug assured him and his eyes turned back to hers.

"But-." He started but she interrupted him.

"It wasn't your fault. You haven't done anything wrong." She said with determined eyes before they softened with her concern. "Now please, change back. We'll help you to the hospital and then I'll send Marinette over to visit."

"No, don't." Chat suddenly replied and she looked back with a confused frown.

"Why?"

"Because she doesn't know…I didn't tell her and now the news will be out about who he is and she'll hate me." He murmured sadly as he looked away with an insecure expression and Ladybug rolled her eyes fondly but he couldn't see it.

"Chat she would never hate you, even if she doesn't know who you are; Adrien is still one of her best friends so she'll be worried about him."She replied softly.

"I guess." He said with a defeated sigh.

"Chat…Adrien, just because your father is Hawk Moth doesn't mean you're the same as him." Carapace told him as he placed his hand on Chat's shoulder with a reassuring smile.

"We're still your friends no matter what." Rena added in and they smiled at him when he looked at them all in surprise, his eyes were kind of dazed which was definitely a sign of a concussion.

They all had to cover their eyes a little as a blinding green light appeared and suddenly Adrien Agreste was standing where Chat Noir had been moments ago and a little black cat Kwami landed softly on his hand.

"Kid! Are you okay?" Plagg flew up to him urgently, eyes widening when he noticed the bruises and blood on his face. He immediately dived behind Adrien's neck when he noticed the other three superheroes around them and he peeked out at them warily from his hair.

"I'm fine, they're taking me to the hospital." Adrien mumbled, Rena Rouge waved at the Kwami from her place in front of Adrien as Carapace moved to help him off the roof. Ladybug watched them with relief, she could freak out later but right now she had higher priorities as she moved to pull Adrien's other arm over her shoulder and they carefully climbed down out of view and walked towards the ambulance crew which had arrived shortly after the police had.

A few paramedics were already looking over the citizens that had been akumatised. The Police Chief and two paramedics noticed them and immediately came over to assess the situation.

"Adrien thank goodness, we've been looking for where Hawk Moth might have hidden you." The Chief said and Adrien smiled grimly.

"Yeah, I took a bit of a hard fall but these heroes saved me and kept me out of the way until _he_ was arrested." He replied and the paramedics hurried over to help Adrien into the back of an ambulance.

"Thank goodness for you then, where is Chat Noir? I wanted to thank him too." The Police Chief said and Ladybug immediately moved forward.

"Chat was about to detransform so he had to hurry away, he'll be back later. I think we all need a little rest and then we could give our official statement tomorrow?" She responded, her eyes straying to where Adrien was being led away and the Chief laughed amicably.

"Of course, you guys earned it. Don't worry about young Mr Agreste, we'll have a security detail outside his hospital room to keep him safe; even if Hawk Moth has been arrested we don't want to take any chances." He replied matter-of-factly.

"Thank you, we'll be going now." Ladybug said as she ushered the other two to go as well but Carapace hesitated. "You can visit him in the hospital as yourself later but we can't show favouritism right now." She whispered to him, he looked like he was about to argue but when he noticed all the people watching them he nodded miserably and Rena gripped his hand before they ran off to the rooftops.

They stopped at a random roof when they were far enough away and Rena turned to Ladybug with a rueful smile.

"I think you'd better get this to Master Wu." She told her as she handed over the butterfly broach in her hand.

"Hopefully now the city will be safe." Carapace added as Ladybug held the butterfly broach tightly and Rena Rouge nodded in agreement.

"Well at least Hawk Moth has been dealt with but if anything else happens the city will need you." Ladybug told them and the other heroes smiled proudly.

"And you too of course." Rena replied before hugging Ladybug. "I never got to say it earlier but I'm glad you're okay, I saw you fall before Chat saved you and Carapace had to save me from an angry lawyer with a barbed briefcase."

"Well I'm just glad neither of you were hurt." Ladybug said softly. "I need to go…tell Marinette to go to the hospital before I go home so I'll see you later." She added as she backed up, Carapace shook his head when Rena opened her mouth to ask as he looked like he wanted to hurry home as well and they waved their goodbyes before separating.

When Ladybug got home she placed the butterfly broach into a locked box in her drawers before detransforming in her room, she caught Tikki before she could fall and she held her close as she finally allowed herself to think over everything as tears pooled in her eyes and began to fall.

"Do you think I did the right thing?" She sobbed. "I should have went with him, I should have stopped him from going earlier or at least told him who I was."

"Shh Marinette." Tikki hushed her softly. "He's going to the hospital now right? He'll be okay and you can talk to him there." The little Kwami rubbed her cheek gently and Marinette sniffed as she wiped her eyes with her free hand.

"You're right, I know you're right but I just can't believe that his father would do that to him. All this time Adrien was Chat Noir, I thought Adrien would never see me as anything more than his weird friend who could barely talk to him at the best of times and yet he's been coming here as Chat…I pushed Chat away for so long because I had feelings for Adrien and oh my god how could I be so stupid?" She lamented as she leaned back on her chaise miserably, burying her face in her hands.

"I'm sure he won't hold it against you, he told you he loved you Marinette. He didn't go to Ladybug to confess; he knew he could be in danger and he came here to tell _you_ that he loved you." The Ladybug Kwami told her and Marinette couldn't help the small smile that tugged at her lips as she felt that fluttering in her chest again.

"Thanks Tikki, I'll get you some cookies and then I'll grab some stuff from the bakery for Adrien, it might make him feel even just a little better." Marinette murmured as she hurried around her house, her parents were away for the weekend luckily so she didn't feel too guilty as she gathered some of his favourite sweets into a box.

"Was he hurt badly? I felt you get hurt too." Tikki asked as she flittered after her Miraculous holder.

"I think he was knocked unconscious and then when he saved me I think he hit his head really hard, he was bruised and bleeding…I dislocated my shoulder but Rena pushed it back into place, it still hurts a little but I'll be fine if I don't overdo it." She explained softly as she checked around to make sure she had her keys, her phone and shoulder bag. "Ready to go?"

"Of course, thank you Marinette." The Kwami replied as she was handed her cookies in Marinette's bag.

Marinette hurried out of the side entrance of her house, she locked the door behind her and rushed towards her car, driving as fast as she could (within reason) towards the hospital. When she arrived an ambulance was already parked at the entrance with the back doors open and she assumed they must have already brought Adrien inside as she hurried towards the receptionist.

"Uh hi, my name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng, I'm here to see Adrien Agreste? He's just been admitted." She explained anxiously, the receptionist typed into her computer quickly before looking up at her with a worried smile.

"Do you have some ID? I'll put in a request for you to be permitted for a visit." The woman replied and Marinette nodded before reaching into her bag for her purse and pulled out her driver's license. "Thank you, please take a seat over there and I'll let you know if you've been cleared." The receptionist said politely as she handed the license back to her before hurrying off.

Marinette sighed nervously as she moved to sit down, clutching the box of sweets in her hands as she stared at the clock which just made it seem like time was slower than usual and she ignored the other people in the room conversing or coughing while they waited.

"Miss Dupain-Cheng?" She heard the receptionist call several minutes later and her head shot towards the voice. "The Police have cleared you for a visit, I'll take you to his room now." She added as Marinette nodded gratefully and quickly followed.

They walked through different hallways and stepped into an elevator for the third floor before finally she noticed two police officers standing outside a room. They inspected her box of sweets before they deemed it safe as they allowed her entry and she thanked the receptionist before walking into the room when one of the officers opened the door.

"Adrien?" She called out quietly when the door closed behind her and she slowly made her way towards him.

"He's asleep." Marinette heard a voice murmur and she looked around but didn't see anything before two green eyes accompanied by little black ears peeked up from his hair.

"Plagg?" She asked and he nodded before flying over to her when the coast was clear.

"He was awake for a while but they gave him something for the pain and to help him sleep." The cat Kwami explained, Tikki flew out of her bag then and hugged him quickly.

"He'll be okay Plagg, don't worry." Tikki reassured him and Plagg nodded when he pulled back.

"He's not taking his father's betrayal very well." He murmured sadly, his ears flattening on his head and Marinette moved closer to Adrien to hold his hand.

"What was he thinking? We had a plan, why did he want to do this on his own?" Marinette asked herself quietly as she stared down at him and tears welled in her eyes as she observed the swelling on his forehead.

"We overheard his father talking to someone in his office, we don't know who, I assume it was his Kwami now but…he was talking about a trap and using Adrien against Ladybug if he had to. He panicked, he was afraid that the whole plan you guys came up with was a trap too so he decided he had to confront him as Adrien and if it went terribly then he'd use Chat Noir to get himself out." Plagg explained as he looked down at his Miraculous holder worriedly and Marinette shook her head softly.

"Why did he think he couldn't tell us? Or even just Ladybug? I mean we've been partners and best friends for years." Marinette whispered, her free hand reaching over to stroke his face and she smiled tenderly when he sighed softly in his sleep.

"He was ashamed…of himself in case his father turned out to be Hawk Moth and he hadn't noticed for years…and he was afraid that if he told you guys you'd hate him or think he was working with him or something silly like that." Plagg replied hesitantly, moving over to sit on Adrien's chest as Marinette settled herself into a chair while she waited for him to wake up.

"Silly kitty." She murmured softly as she brushed her hand through his hair and began to pet him, careful not to disturb the stitches on his forehead. They stayed like that for what seem like hours, the Kwamis only moving to hide when a nurse would come in and write something down in his chart before leaving with a kind smile.

Eventually he began to stir, groaning softly in his sleep as his face scrunched up and Marinette waited with baited breath whilst Plagg was waiting by his shoulder.

"Plagg?" Adrien called groggily as his eyes struggled to open.

"I'm here, you're in the hospital." The Cat Kwami murmured and Adrien tried to lift his hand but his eyes opened with a confused frown when he realised it was taken and he met her eyes with a surprised look.

"I'm dead." Adrien stated, his voice a little high-pitched.

"No you're not." Marinette replied with a fond giggle, she couldn't help herself as the relief caused the tension in her shoulders to melt and she stroked his cheek with her thumb.

"Mari? Why are you here?" He asked with an adorable confused frown, his cheeks heating slightly as he avoided her eyes and she shook her head a little exasperatedly,

"Too see you obviously, you got hurt trying to save Ladybug and she…" She trailed off as he turned his eyes back to meet hers and she realised she had said too much but she didn't want to lie anymore. "I love you too." Marinette breathed as tears welled up in her eyes. "I was so scared for you."

"She told you?!" He asked apprehensively as he looked up at her with wide eyes, his face was awash with a mixture of fear and love and she shook her head lightly.

"No I…I saw you change…I saw you change when you tried to save me…I'm Ladybug." Marinette told him anxiously and he stared at her in awe. "I'm sorry, I should have said something before but you just caught me off guard when you told me you loved me and then Carapace and Rena were there and I wanted you to know first but-" She rambled but she was cut off when she felt him place his finger on her lips and he looked up at her with a fond smile.

"It's okay, I'm sorry I didn't go through with our plan…I wanted to confront him on my own because I didn't want to believe he'd do something like this and I thought the perfect time would be at dinner but he…he uh…." Adrien trailed off with an anxious look and his Kwami floated above his head with a sad expression.

"You went to the dinner he invited you to and when you finished, you confronted him and when he basically confirmed everything you didn't have a chance to transform because he hit you." The Cat Kwami explained for him with a guilty expression. "I'm sorry Adrien, I should have done something to help you."

Adrien frowned as he thought over the night and what he could remember, he looked up at Marinette quickly. "He said he was doing all this for me, for our family and that he needed to take the Miraculous to bring my mother back! He just needed to use me as bait against Ladybug and the others, I told him he was crazy and I would have no part in any of it and that…and that Mom would be ashamed if she could see what he's become. I'm just grateful he didn't find out I was Chat Noir, if he had taken you Plagg I don't know what I would have done." He explained to them sadly, his eyes welling up and voice breaking as he tried to hold back the tears. "I didn't realise that while he was talking, he was getting closer to me and I think he grabbed something before everything went black."

"Adrien, what he did was terrible. It's inexcusable but no matter what it wasn't your fault, he didn't do this for you. He hurt so many people, he isolated you for years and I'm so sorry about your mom but we don't know if it would work. Please don't blame yourself, you were able to save me in time." She told him earnestly, her heart broke for him as he looked off to the side with a pained frown and she brushed a hand against his cheek to get him to look back at her.

"He could have killed you Mari…Oh my God he could have killed you and he tried to use me to do that." He exclaimed as the tears began fall.

"But he didn't. Hey, you saved my life. We're safe now, he won't hurt us…either of us again. We'll make sure of it right?" Marinette whispered to him reassuringly as he gazed back at her with a sniff and a hesitant smile, she didn't feel the need to remind him that his father could have killed him too but she could tell how much he was hurt by it and it broke her heart.

"I love you so much Mari, I'm so glad you're her but I would still love you even if you weren't." Adrien murmured softly, her heart skipped a beat and she moved closer to him.

"I love you too, I'm so glad it's you. I'm so glad you're safe." She replied, voice thick with emotion and Adrien smiled fondly as his free hand moved up to cup her cheek. She leaned into his touch, her hand reaching up to cover his and they smiled to each other affectionately.

"Well I can't exactly lift my head right now." Adrien hinted with a small smirk and she giggled shyly before leaning down to press her lips to his. He sighed into her mouth contentedly as his hand brushed through her hair before settling at the back of her neck and he squeezed her hand in his other one. "Purrfect." He murmured when they pulled back and she snorted a laugh at his antics.

"And so it begins." Marinette commented fondly and he shrugged with no remorse on his features.

"You know who I am now, I can finally be myself with someone." Adrien replied with a grateful smile, he laughed when Plagg cleared his throat loudly and glared at his Miraculous holder. "You know what I mean Plagg."

"Humph." The little Kwami huffed and Adrien looked around in confusion when he heard a high-pitched giggle but his face softened into a fond grin when he saw Tikki fly towards Plagg.

"Are you pouting?" The red Kwami asked smugly and Plagg hissed at her indignantly.

"Of course not." He scoffed, Adrien rolled his eyes before focusing back on Marinette who was watching the scene with amusement and he couldn't help but smile as she was so beautiful.

"Did you…uh…you didn't happen to hear from Nino or Alya?" Adrien asked her after a few moments and her eyes refocused back to him with a soft frown. "I think I lost my phone." He added as he looked off to the side.

"Sorry I haven't heard anything but I have a feeling they'll be calling over really soon." She replied reassuringly but Adrien shook his head sadly.

"I'm sure it's all over the news by now, the '_Agreste Name_' will be dragged through the mud, no one will want to talk to me because of what _he _did…I wouldn't be surprised if Nino felt betrayed or something since he's been akumatised before and so has Alya." He told her miserably and she shook her head adamantly.

"Hey, none of that. That wasn't you, you didn't akumatise the citizens of Paris, you didn't terrorise this city for years…And Nino would never hate you, or Alya. Nino's your best friend, I'm sure he'd feel hurt if he heard that you'd really think he could ever hate you." Marinette chastised him lightly and he looked a little guilty for suggesting it.

"I know you're right…I just can't help but think I should've known. He's never been very…_fatherlike_ towards me…well at least after mom…he has his moments where I think he might actually care but then he'll completely dismiss me like I don't matter. I mean tonight is the perfect example but I just…I didn't wanna believe it y'know?" He replied sadly and she brushed a comforting hand through his hair.

"I'm so sorry Adrien." She whispered softly and he shook his head with a sniff as he tried to hold back his emotions.

"It's not your fault Mari." Adrien replied quietly.

"I know…but I'm sorry anyway." She murmured and he pulled her towards him so he could hug her, she tried not to put too much of her weight against his chest as she buried her face in his neck.

"Thank you Mari, for everything." His voice was muffled by her shoulder but she squeezed him back carefully, making sure not to put too much pressure with her arm as it was still sore but she hoped it would be fine in a few days.

"You don't need to thank me; you're my partner, my best friend, and the person I love." Marinette murmured as she pulled back a little to look at his face, her cheeks heated as she spoke and Adrien smiled affectionately.

"How did I get so lucky?" He replied softly and she shrugged warmly as she leaned in to kiss him again before pulling back to meet his eyes.

"I think we both are, I mean what are the chances that I would fall in love with the same boy twice?" She asked fondly and he chuckled softly as a warm hand stroked up and down her side.

"Around the same as me falling for the same girl twice." Adrien answered with a tender smile.

The moment shattered when they heard the door opening, both Kwami's diving under Adrien's bed to hide and they turned their heads to look. Marinette smiled warmly and backed away from Adrien as she allowed the two best friends to have their moment and she immediately walked over to Alya to give her a hug.

"Girl, you will not believe the day I've had." The ladyblogger complained quietly as she turned to look at her boyfriend who was slowly making his way towards his best friend on the bed.

"Adrien, dude I've been so worried." Nino murmured and the tension suddenly melted from his shoulders as his friend reached up to clasp his arm.

"Hey Nino, I'm glad you came." Adrien replied gratefully and the DJ frowned worriedly as he read between the lines.

"Did you really think I wouldn't? Bro you're my ride or die. I'm so angry at your dad right now but not for one second do I blame you." The DJ told him urgently and Adrien smiled fondly before pulling his friend down to hug him.

"This is actually so cute." Alya said to Marinette as she snapped a quick photo of the friends.

"I'm so glad you guys came, Adrien was worried you would be mad at him." Marinette whispered to her best friend, Alya's eyes widened and she shook her head adamantly.

"Of course not, we were running late because Nino's mom had the car and we had to wait for her to get back so he could drive us here." The ladyblogger replied before walking over to the hospital bed. "Alright Nino, it's my turn." She coaxed her boyfriend back before giving Adrien a quick hug. "We're still your friends okay? Neither of us blame you for anything." She murmured to her friend before pulling back to give him a look and he nodded gratefully.

"Thanks guys." Adrien told them appreciatively, his eyes were a little wet but he smiled when Marinette moved closer to hold his hand. "I…I'm so happy that you're all still here…Wait, I'm not finished." He added when the others let out a noise of protest. "I just wanted to say that you guys have been there for me more than anyone else ever has, I mean my own father…well we all know what he's become."

"Adrien, you won't have to see him again okay?" Nino told his best friend reassuringly. "I asked my mom and she already said that you can stay with us once you get out of the hospital."

"Thanks Nino but I really can't put you out like that, I'm just gonna go back and get my stuff and look for a new place." Adrien replied honestly. "I mean…I had already been looking because I couldn't take the tension in the house anymore but I waited too long."

"That's fine, until you find a new place you're staying with me; no arguments." Nino insisted with determined eyes, Adrien met Marinette's eyes as she squeezed his hand with an encouraging smile and he sighed in defeat.

"If it's not too much trouble." He relented, Alya snorted as her boyfriend let out an exasperated sigh.

"Dude, I love you but you really need to stop thinking that helping you out is a chore or something. Don't thank me for being here or letting you stay with me or whatever; just accept it. We all care about you, nothing's changed between any of us…that whole thing with your dad is a completely separate issue." His best friend insisted and Adrien couldn't help but let out a fond chuckle.

"Alright alright, I give up." The former model replied warmly and Nino nodded once in agreement .

"Good, now on a lighter note." Alya chimed in with a sly smile. "Mari, anything you want to tell us?"

"What?" Marinette asked in a surprised tone, looking to where Alya was staring and noticed that they were still holding hands but she didn't feel the need to pull back despite her cheeks heating up. "Oh...um…I uh." She stammered, Adrien smirked at her squirming and she glared at him.

"What's wrong Mari? Cat got your tongue?" He had the cheek to ask and she scoffed as she pulled her hand away to cover her face from the embarrassment. "Don't be like that I'm just kidding…I've got a confession to make to you all anyway."

Marinette turned back in confusion, ignoring the sniggering of her friends and Adrien met her eyes with a look. "Are you sure?" She asked worriedly.

"Look there's no point in hiding it, one way or another someone might have seen and I know for a fact _he_ knows now…despite how blurry my memories are right now." Adrien explained to her. "Either way, you three are the people I trust the most." He added but his eyes were only for Marinette in an unspoken '_you are the person I trust more than anyone_'.

"I feel the same." Marinette replied as she gazed back at him softly.

"So I feel like I should explain myself a little first, now everything's a little hazy but I'll try and explain the best I can." He cleared his throat as he addressed his best friend and the ladyblogger. "Earlier today, I had just opened the door of my room and was about to go into town when I overheard my father in his study. He was talking to someone, he seemed angry and his voice was muffled so it was hard to hear but for some reason my curiosity got the best of me." He smirked self-deprecatingly before continuing. "I moved a little closer and I heard something about a trap and needing to do something as soon as possible before it's too late…And he'd use me against Ladybug if he had to."

"What?" Nino asked in shock as Alya gasped beside him and Marinette slid her hand into his again worriedly.

"Yeah so I was kind of in shock and denial as you can imagine, so I decided that I needed to confront the situation head on but I needed to do something first just in case it didn't go well…So I decided to go tell a girl I loved her…needless to say she could sense there was something off about me but I didn't say the exact reason." Marinette bit her lip sadly as he smiled reassuringly at her, Alya leaned into Nino's side with a soft smile and Nino put his arm around her. "Earlier that day my father had requested my presence at dinner which seemed a little odd but I just assumed it was him trying to reach out like he did once every few months so I thought that was the perfect time."

Marinette moved to sit on the bed beside him while he continued, freeing up the seat for Alya to sit as Nino stood with his arms folded and his shoulders tensed as Adrien continued.

"It was just us for once, none of the staff were there but I didn't think anything of it because _again_ I thought he was trying to reach out or whatever. So the food was already set out when I got there, he was waiting and y'know?...I should have seen it coming when he didn't even complain about me being a minute late…but I didn't. So I confronted him about it, I'll spare you the details but he basically confirmed that he was Hawk Moth, that he was doing this all for a reason and that he only needed to use me as bait for '_our_' future and when I refused…I uh…I don't really remember what happened then." He explained through the lump in his throat and Nino's fists clenched.

"How can you not remember?" He asked incredulously, not angry at Adrien but angry at the situation.

"I can only guess that he hit me with something." Adrien replied and Nino let out a distressed noise but Alya rubbed his side comfortingly. "I don't know how long I was out for or what happened during it, I'm only grateful that…" He trailed off while he looked at the ring on his hand and closed his hand tightly before letting out a sigh. "So the next thing I remember is waking up, I'm being held in mid-air and Ladybug is swinging towards me, everything hits me at once. My father's conversation, passing out and I panicked, I tried to warn her but it was too late she was already…" He froze, eyes wide like he was reliving the horrifying moment and his breath shook.

"It's okay Adrien." Marinette reminded him as she stroked his arm with her free hand and he nodded shakily.

"I'm Chat Noir." He told his friends as he stared at the ring on his hand. "I'm Chat Noir and Hawk Moth has been living with me this entire time."

"Adrien." Alya murmured sadly and Nino moved over to his friend quickly as Adrien began to cry.

"Hey, it's okay. None of us knew and I told you earlier…I won't let him hurt you again." Nino said sincerely, Adrien inhaled in surprise as his eyes shot up to meet his friend's and the DJ smiled kindly.

"Carapace?" He asked and Nino nodded softly. "But you're with Alya and Carapace is…" He trailed off when it clicked and Alya smiled ruefully at him. "You guys already knew."

"Yeah, I wanted to come with you in that ambulance so bad but Ladybug said we shouldn't show favouritism…" Nino replied sadly but Adrien shook his head.

"It was the right call." He said matter-of-factly. "The last thing we need is for your identities to be discovered, mine is already compromised so if he ever gets out the people closest to me will be in danger."

"Even if he does get out, he'll be powerless." Alya said determinedly. "We removed his Miraculous and I gave it to Ladybug before we split up."

"Well that's something." Adrien replied with a sigh.

"Um…guys?" Marinette murmured and the others looked at her curiously. "Since we're being honest…" She trailed off nervously and Adrien stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"What is it?" Nino asked worriedly, Marinette looked at Adrien anxiously and he smiled back at her encouragingly.

"Don't worry." He whispered with a look that said '_I'm here with you, I've got your back_' and she nodded before turning with determined eyes.

"Well…I wanted to tell Adrien first which is why I never said anything earlier." She said softly, meeting Alya's eyes apologetically. "But…I'm Ladybug, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you."

"Well I'd like to say I'm surprised." Alya told her with wide eyes. "But honestly it makes so much sense, I've had my suspicions for a long time girl and if I hadn't become Rena Rouge, I'd probably be more upset but I understand why you didn't tell anyone." Her best friend smiled warmly as Nino nodded in agreement.

"At least it's out there now." Nino murmured kindly.

"Thank you." Marinette whispered emotionally, glad she didn't lose her friends and she sighed softly when Adrien squeezed her hand.

"How long do you think they'll keep you in the hospital Adrien?" Nino asked trying to change the subject and Adrien shrugged softly.

"I'm not sure, I was given stitches and pain medication earlier and I fell asleep but I know they wanted to monitor me for the concussion. Thankfully enough it wasn't too serious." He explained and Marinette breathed out a sigh of relief.

"That's good, you hit your head pretty hard when we landed on the roof." She replied worriedly and he sighed guiltily at his friends' concerned gazes.

"Yeah, it probably looked worse than it was." He assured them with a small smile. They stopped talking when a nurse walked in to check his chart, she smiled at them kindly before writing something down and checking his vitals.

"Mr Agreste, the doctor should be in shortly to check on you. You might be kept in overnight or sent home depending on what the doctor says." She told him softly and he nodded gratefully.

"Thank you." He replied politely and she nodded before leaving, closing the door quietly behind her.

"If you're not staying in the hospital tonight, do you wanna come home with me so we can talk?" Marinette asked him quietly.

"Sure." Adrien replied with a soft smile, knowing they really needed to discuss everything but also not wanting to be away from her for too long.

"I'll get the spare room set up for you for tomorrow and then Alya and I can go to yours and pick up your stuff if you'd like?" Nino suggested with a concerned smile. "You don't have to go there if you don't want to."

"Thank you guys but I can go pick up my stuff." Adrien told them gently, his grateful smile turning into a frown as he continued. "I'll probably have to sort out everything with the staff and the house…It's going to be quite the mess."

"_We_ can deal with that tomorrow." Marinette said softly, he looked up at her in surprise and she breathed out a laugh. "Don't look so surprised, you really think we'd let you deal with this alone?" Nino and Alya nodded with warm grins of their own when he looked at them all and he surreptitiously wiped his eyes.

"I love you guys so much." He murmured but before anyone could reply there was a knock on the door and the doctor walked in with the nurse following behind. Nino and Alya moved out of the way and Marinette squeezed his hand before joining them to let the doctor examine him.

"Now, Mr Agreste." She greeted as she moved closer to gently examine his stitches before shining her torch in his eyes. "All seems good, you have a mild concussion but nothing too serious, considering. I think you'll be able to leave tonight if you'd like? As long as you get a lot of rest."

Adrien straightened at that with a polite grin. "Yes please, I promise I won't overdo it."

"Good, Mae? Could you get Mr Agreste's paperwork so we can sign him out please?" The doctor asked the nurse warmly, she nodded and quickly hurried out of the room. "I'm of course going to prescribe you some medication for the pain but if you feel sick or don't feel better in a few days come back in and we'll check it out to make sure there's nothing serious." She added to Adrien and he nodded understandingly.

"Thank you." He told the doctor and she shook her head with a friendly smile.

"It's no trouble." The nurse came in then carrying the paperwork, before accepting the prescription for the doctor and hurrying off to get his medication whilst Marinette moved to pick up her bag and box of sweets. The doctor filled in the form before handing it to Adrien to sign and he hurriedly signed it so he could get out of there as he didn't like hospitals all that much. "Take one before you go to bed tonight, and then twice a day after." The doctor informed him when the nurse finally brought the medication in and Adrien eased himself out of the bed to accept them.

"No problem, thank you again." He replied and the doctor smiled warmly before bidding them goodbye and rushed off to her next patient.

"Here Adrien, I'll put your medication in my bag." Marinette offered and he handed them over gratefully.

"Do you need any help walking?" Nino asked worriedly but Adrien shook his head kindly.

"I'm okay, I'm a little weak but I can walk." He murmured and his best friend nodded but kept close anyway.

"Mr Agreste?" One of the police officers called as they walked out the door and Adrien stopped with a polite smile.

"Yes?" He replied worriedly.

"Do you have somewhere safe to stay tonight? We have Hawk Moth in custody but we don't want to take any chances." The officer asked, looking a little uncomfortable for having to bring it up as Adrien's smile dimmed.

"Uh Yes officer, Adrien is staying with me tonight. My parent's own the Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, we have an apartment above the bakery." Marinette answered for him and he smiled softly.

"We'll have a car parked outside tonight, if anything happens; don't hesitate to call us." The officer replied matter of factly and Adrien couldn't fault them as they were only doing their job.

"Thank you so much." He responded as Marinette guided him away to walk with the others. "I'm sorry for the trouble Mari."

"Don't be. I'd rather know you're safe." She replied with an affectionate smile.

"Do you guys need us to drive you home or pick you up tomorrow? Nino asked them as they were about to head out to the car park.

"It's okay Nino, my parents are away for the weekend so I have the car." The fashion designer replied.

"Well we'll still meet up tomorrow girl." Alya said as she moved to hug her best friend. "We have _so much_ to talk about." She added with a sly grin as she pulled back and Marinette rolled her eyes fondly as they giggled together.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Nino added as he moved in to hug his best friend. "If _anything_ happens, call me and I'll be there. I'll see you tomorrow okay?" Adrien nodded softly, incredibly moved by his best friend's care for him.

"And you." Alya said as she moved in to hug Adrien whilst Nino moved to hug Marinette. "You need to stop blaming yourself for this mess and know that we love you and care about you okay?" Adrien sighed lightly but nodded in agreement but before he could pull away her grip tightened on his shirt and she pulled him closer as she whispered in his ear. "And if you hurt my best friend I will hunt you down and teammate or not I will destroy you." He looked at her a little fearfully when she winked at him but he looked over at Marinette with a tender smile when she laughed quietly at something Nino had said and he shook his head.

"Never." He murmured to the ladyblogger and she grinned impishly.

"Then we won't have any problems." Alya finally pulled away and moved over to hold hands with Nino. "We'll come round tomorrow afternoon, Nino's mom should be done with the car by then and then we'll go to Adrien's to help you pack." She informed them in a tone that left no room for arguments.

"Thanks guys." Adrien replied and they merely smiled before heading off towards their car leaving them alone. "You ever wish you could just run away?" He asked Marinette after a tired sigh.

"I used to but a certain Kitty always changed that." She answered with a small smirk as she headed towards her car and he quickly followed with a surprised look.

"Thanks for letting me stay with you tonight." He told her as he got into the passenger side.

"Of course I'd want you to stay." She replied softly as she started the car and began the drive home, driving as carefully as possible as the police followed behind. "I wanna make sure my kitty is safe." She added with a light blush on her cheeks.

"I love you Mari. I know we need to talk about everything and we will but I just…I just want you to know that." Adrien murmured quietly.

"I know and I love you too, I've loved you for years Adrien." She said sincerely and he breathed out a content sigh.

"I'm sorry I didn't see it sooner." He replied softly but she shook her head with a small smile.

"It's okay, I pushed Chat away all that time because of it but I just…I just couldn't seem to stop myself from falling for him too." She murmured as she parked outside her house and he chuckled lightly.

"I had the same issue with Ladybug and Marinette, I loved Ladybug don't get me wrong but there is just something so special about you Mari and I thought you didn't like me as Adrien because you didn't speak to me much but you were so confident around Chat and I…I liked that and you know what they say about curiosity and cats." Adrien explained fondly as she looked at him in surprise.

"I was just really shy around you as Adrien but for some reason I wasn't around Chat, even though I loved Chat too I just felt so comfortable around him but I was a mess around Adrien." Marinette replied with an embarrassed groan as she buried her face in her hands but he lightly pried one of them away so he could look at her with a gentle smile.

"Well do you feel shy around me now?" He asked innocently, her smile grew as he smirked at her and she shook her head.

"No, in a way I feel so much better knowing you're the same sweet dorky guy that visits me after patrol." She murmured with a breathy laugh and he pouted at her.

"Purrincess that is hurtful, dorky? We're talking about my pride here." He joked as his lips pressed against her hand that he was still holding and she poked him on the nose with a giggle.

"My mistake mon Chaton." She replied as they finally left the car to go into her apartment, as the officer had said the police parked outside her house in an unmarked car so as not to draw attention and they hurried inside. She guided him upstairs and made him lie down in her bed before hurrying off to the kitchen to make them both hot cocoa.

"Do you have any cheese?" She heard a voice from behind and she nearly dropped her mugs in surprise before the little Cat Kwami floated into view.

"I do actually." Marinette replied warmly as she quickly went to her fridge to grab some and placed some cookies onto her tray as well as she began to carry it to her room. "I always have some on hand just in case."

"Is it Camembert?" Plagg asked with wide eyes and he landed on her shoulder as she climbed up the ladder to her room.

"Of course." She answered simply, she placed the tray on the floor but Adrien was already there to pick it up for her. "You should have stayed in bed." She chastised lightly but he merely smirked at her and followed her to the bed.

"Well I couldn't just sit there and do nothing Mari." He replied warmly as he set the tray down and handed over her mug as she settled herself down and he sat beside her with his own.

"That's exactly what you're supposed to be doing, the doctor said you had to rest." Marinette said worriedly but he merely smiled fondly and nodded to assuage her. Tikki flew over to the tray and lifted a cookie for herself as Plagg left the fashion designer's shoulder to get his cheese.

"Finally, I've been starving for so long." Plagg said gratefully and Adrien rolled his eyes fondly as Marinette scooted closer beside him.

"You have not, I gave you cheese before I went to dinner and I didn't even use Cataclysm." The former model replied irritably. "Don't listen to him Mari, he could eat twenty wheels of cheese in one sitting and tell you two minutes later that he's starving."

"What? I'm hungry." The Cat Kwami said dismissively through a mouthful of cheese and Tikki scoffed indignantly.

"I'm sure you've gone through a lot of cheese throughout the years." The Ladybug Kwami said sympathetically and Adrien merely shrugged softly.

"You have no idea but eh, he grows on you." He joked lightly, Plagg rolled his eyes and continued eating.

"Are you hungry?" Marinette asked Adrien as he settled back with his mug and he shook his head with a fond smile.

"No I'm okay with the cocoa, thank you Mari." He replied and she nodded with a soft grin as she leaned against his side. "How's your arm?" He asked quietly and Marinette looked up with wide eyes. "Don't look so surprised, I can be observant sometimes. You're favouring it."

"I dislocated it when we landed on the roof but R-Alya put it back into place, it just aches but it's not too bad." She explained with a helpless shrug and he looked a little guilty.

"I really am sorry about all this, I should have told you about my father and we could have come up with a better plan." Adrien told her softly but she shook her head adamantly.

"Adrien, you have nothing to be sorry for, it could have been exactly the same even if you had. You would have went to the dinner and your father could have used you against us anyway. Both of us are safe, we're together and he can't hurt either of us again. Forget about what could have been and focus on what happens now." She replied earnestly, he smiled gratefully as he nodded before leaning into press his lip to hers, sighing contentedly into her mouth when he felt her hand gently stroking his cheek.

"You're _Miraculous_ Mari." He breathed with a small smirk as she rolled her eyes fondly before kissing him a little harder to shut him up and his free hand brushed through her hair as his heart slammed in his chest. They pulled back before they could drop their mugs and they looked into each other's eyes, seeing all the love, regrets, happiness and many other emotions that they felt and slowly their foreheads touched softly.

They stayed quiet, no words needed to be said as they basked in each other's company and their hearts felt full despite all the bad things that had happened. The moment shattered when Adrien couldn't quiet suppress the yawn that had built up in his chest and Marinette smiled fondly in response.

"You should take your medicine and get some sleep." She whispered softly and he nodded as she handed his tablets over which he quickly took with the last of his cocoa and he set his mug down on her bedside table before settling back on the pillows.

"Thank you _My Lady_ for everything." He murmured with a tender smile, she set her own mug down before moving to cuddle into his side and she breathed out a content sigh when his arm easily snaked around her.

"I love you Chaton." Marinette said quietly, kissing him gently on his cheek before laying her head against his chest and she smiled when he kissed the top of her head in response before they both settled down to sleep.

Ladybug stood on a roof close to the Eiffel Tower as she waited, they didn't really need to do patrol with Hawk Moth gone but there would always be citizens in need of help and she shivered slightly as a cool breeze blew.

The trial with Gabriel Agreste was tough to say the least, Adrien had to give a witness statement as to the events of that night and he couldn't even look at his father. Gabriel stared at him emotionlessly the entire time but Adrien kept his nerve and he met her eyes as he spoke which helped him relax a little.

She'd had to go as ladybug, stating to the court that as she was the representative of their team; Chat Noir and the others wouldn't be able to attend. Gabriel was sentenced to life in prison, Adrien didn't even look at him when he was taken away and it was only when he was almost out of view that Gabriel finally managed to show a little humanity.

"I'm sorry Adrien." He murmured, almost too quiet to be heard over the cheering citizens but Adrien raised his head to look at him sadly before looking back at her again with a weak smile. It took a while for him to be okay but he had accepted it, the Agreste name was in tatters but no one blamed Adrien for it; to be quite honest a lot of people pitied him which he couldn't decide if that was worse or not.

"My my Chaton, you're late." She greeted smugly when she heard his boots softly thudding against the floor, taking her out of her thoughts and she turned as he walked a little closer.

"My sincerest apologies My Lady, I was distracted by a certain Baker's daughter who left a note that said 'race you' when I went to the bathroom and got a head start." Chat remarked with a faux pout and she giggled mischeviously.

"Poor Minou, you were too slow." Ladybug murmured as he slid his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

"Oh contraire, I'm quite paw-sitive you cheated." He grinned and she rolled her eyes fondly.

"Oh however shall I make it up to you?" She asked with a lilt to her voice, her hand brushing through his hair which he leaned into and he smirked teasingly.

"Oh I'm sure I can think of something." He purred as their faces were so close, their noses were touching lightly and his arms tightened around her waist. She giggled lightly before leaning in but he pulled his face back quickly with a smirk as she pouted. "Meow meow My Lady, you can't just get what you want, so how about another race?"

"No mon Chaton, I already won the race." Ladybug told him softly, fingers tightening in his hair and he sighed softly before looking at her with a pout.

"You fight dirty." He breathed and she giggled again knowing she was exploiting his weaknesses before her eyes widened innocently, lips ghosting over his neck as she held him back a little by his hair and his hands tightened.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She whispered teasingly into his ear as she gently bit his earlobe and he gasped, resolve quickly dissolving before he slid his hand up to her cheek and his lips met hers hungrily. She grinned into the kiss, both pulling back when they heard an awkward cough and the snapping of a camera.

"Couldn't you wait until after patrol?" Carapace asked exasperatedly, Rena snickering beside him as she looked at her phone triumphantly and Ladybug pulled away from Chat to glare at the Fox Heroine.

"Do not upload that to your blog!" She stated hotly and Rena merely smirked as she put her phone away.

"I'm not going to, people would guess my identity then because it's such a perfect shot but I _did_ send it to Chat though." Rena replied mischievously and Chat snickered.

"Thank you! I'm touched." He said with a hand against his chest and a bow thrown in for good measure. "This almost makes up for you cheating on the race Buginette."

"Quiet you. Don't encourage her." Ladybug said as her face flushed almost the same colour as her mask and Chat merely smiled affectionately at the sight she made.

"Alright can we please get on with patrol now? Some of us have dinner reservations." Carapace said exasperatedly and Rena smiled fondly at her boyfriend.

"Yes!" Chat said perking up and giving his best friend an encouraging grin. "Also some of us have races to win." He added as he winked to his girlfriend and Ladybug rolled her eyes.

"I told you Minou, I already won the race." She replied smugly as she readied her yo-yo to swing off onto her section.

"We'll see." Chat said as he saluted her before running off and vaulting onto the roof in his section.

When patrol was over, Carapace and Rena hurried off home so they could get ready for their dinner plans whilst Chat Noir and Ladybug held back and sat down together on the roof.

"I'm still gonna get you back for that race you know." Chat murmured into her neck as they cuddled together in their secluded section of the roof.

"I look forward to it Mon Chaton." She replied affectionately as he placed a gentle kiss onto her skin.

"You know he's gonna ask her to marry him tonight?" He told her and he pulled away to look at her when she let out an excited gasp.

"Really? She's so gonna say yes." Ladybug said happily.

"He was so nervous on the phone to me earlier, he came over to my apartment and nearly pulled his hair out." Chat informed her with a fond grin.

"Alya kinda already suspects but she's worried she might be wrong. What are you going to wear to their engagement party?" She asked curiously as she rested her head against his shoulder and Chat shrugged carefully to not dislodge her as his arm went around her waist to pull her closer.

"What about that jacket you made me last year, the one with the cats paw accents?" He asked with a smirk and she rolled her eyes with a blush.

"I made it for Chat Noir but I didn't think you would wear it in public, just in case y'know?" She responded quietly and he kissed the top of her head.

"I loved it, I always did want to wear it but I was afraid you'd figure out who I was. I've worn Chat Noir inspired outfits before but never a Marinette original." He murmured so that only she could hear and she smiled softly.

"I would have known straight away, but then again both of us are so dense I might have thought Chat had given it away." She said, giggling when he let out a scoff.

"You wound me M'lady." Chat replied as he hugged her closer before easing away from her and standing, she looked up at him in confusion before he smirked mischievously. "Race you back!" He exclaimed before taking off and she stood immediately with a light-hearted laugh.

"No fair!" She shouted as she threw her yo-yo and he vaulted over rooftops ahead of her, and she could hear his breathless chuckles as he moved.

"All's fair in love and war My Lady." The two heroes of Paris's hearts felt light and carefree as they moved. A light breeze cooling their heated skin as Chat hopped onto her balcony with a triumphant grin just as she landed and he caught her in his arms. They moved into the shade where no one could see them as their transformations dropped and Tikki dragged Plagg away before he could make a sarcastic remark as Adrien brushed her hair out of her face.

"You cheated." Marinette said with a faux-pout.

"Now we're even." He purred as he leaned in and kissed her before she could say anything else. Her heart thundered in her chest as her hands buried themselves in his hair and his hands were gripping her back almost possessively.

They kissed for a few moments longer before Adrien finally pulled back with a content sigh and Marinette looked up at him as her heart swelled at his flushed cheeks and happy smile.

"Move in with me." He said softly, looking a little unsure when her eyes widened in surprise. "I know it's a little sudden, I mean we've only been together six months but all I know is that you're _It_ for me Mari. I love being with you and waking up with you, bed hair and all." His lips curled in a fond smirk at that. "I know things haven't always been easy with us but ever since we became 100% honest with each other I've never wanted anything more…And I know I'm not the easiest person to–." She pressed her lips against his quickly before he could say anything bad about himself before she pulled back with a bashful grin.

"Of course I will Minou." Marinette breathed eagerly, Adrien's eyes widened before he picked her up and spun her around with a cheerful laugh.

"I love you so much Mari" He said as he gently set her down and leaned in to kiss her tenderly.

"I love you too." She murmured as her eyes welled up and she turned away quickly to wipe her tears quickly but he pulled her to him with an affectionate smile and a hand stroked her cheek gently before his lips met her forehead.

They went inside after that, spending the evening watching movies whilst they waited for the inevitable phone call of happiness from their friends and Marinette curled into his arms contentedly.

Tomorrow Marinette would have to tell her parents she was moving out. Tomorrow they would move the rest of her things over (she had already left a lot of stuff at his place anyway…_Their place_)

Tomorrow they would live together, tomorrow she'd watch him fall asleep on the floor instead of helping her unpack (not that she had much else) in a spot where the sun shone in like an actual cat and she would debate with herself whether to wake him or join him, choosing the latter as he looked so comfortable.

Tomorrow.

And the day after that.

And the day after that…

They would be happy.

A/N: Yeah alright that ending was cheesey AF but I'm in need of fluff and this is self-indulgent as hell. Hope you enjoyed!


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